Sneaky Sugar!

I start every morning with the best of intentions; no sugar, no grain, no crap. Most days this works out and I have no problems, I’m prepared, I’m disciplined and I can get through the day without reverting to those habits. But then there are the days where I am 9 months pregnant with allergies and a raging appetite. Yesterday I walked across the entire building (damn near a quarter of a mile I think) because they were giving away cookies. I had a 5 minute walk to talk myself out of it… but I didn’t… after all it was a sugar cookie with colorful frosting and in support of Autism Awareness. (As if eating a cookie was going to support the cause). I ate the cookie and it was really one of the best sugar cookies I’ve ever eaten, which did make me feel slightly better about my poor willpower…but not much. I would like to say that this was an isolated situation but it’s not, there have been many other cookie/ice-cream/pizza/chocolate incidents along the way.

In the bigger picture a cookie really isn’t a big deal, but this isn’t about the cookie. This is about letting sugar and grain sneak their way back into your diet when you have chosen and know that those things aren’t going to help you on your quest for optimal health. Everyone once-in-a-while you have to take inventory and see how many little pretzels, M&M’s, or “bites” of desserts have snuck into your daily diet and eliminate them. It’s easy to let this happen and hard to make it stop.

Sugar has many aliases. It’s so dangerous it tries to hide in food labels. Some of the many disguises sugar hides behind are listed below. Keep in mind some of them are “natural,” but they are still going to break down into your body as glucose and cause the same reaction. Some natural forms of sugar are okay, just eat them in moderation–that does not mean daily.

barley malt

beet sugar

brown sugar

buttered syrup

cane-juice crystals

cane sugar

caramel

carob syrup

corn syrup

corn syrup solids

date sugar

dextran

dextrose

diatase

diastatic malt

ethyl maltol

fructose

fruit juice

fruit juice concentrate

glucose

glucose solids

golden sugar

golden syrup

grape sugar

high-fructose corn syrup

honey

invert sugar

lactose

malt syrup

maltodextrin

maltose

mannitol

molasses

raw sugar

refiner’s syrup

sorbitol

sorghum syrup

sucrose

sugar

turbinado sugar

yellow sugar

Check your labels, better yet, if it has a label don’t eat it. Stick to meat, vegetables, fruits, and nuts (and a moderate amount of dairy if you choose). You’ll have your pitfalls but keep those situations isolated, don’t let them become your norm. Remember that excess sugar becomes fat and nobody wants that! Start today by cleaning up your act, prepare your meals ahead of time, and recommit yourself to an optimal diet.

Thank you for this!!! What about almond butter? I’m really missing my chocolate fix at night so I’ve created a desert: apples cut up, raisins and a teaspoon of almond butter. it satiates my need for something rich.

Wow. This is eye-opening. Thanks so much for this information! I realize I have a sugar addiction that needs to get in CHECK before I become a diabetic/obese/heart attack suffering American statistic.
Will be following your blog!

I haven’t had sugar in almost 6 months and I took a drink of my husbands mixed drink yesterday. WOAH!! Overload! I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to go back! I can’t have a ton of stuff because my daughter has a lot of smfood sensitivies… What I used to consider a curse is now my blessing!